The giant mechanical puppet takes nine people to operate

A giant mechanical baby is installed ahead of Mind the Gap Theatre Company’s first performance of ZARA at the Halifax Piece Hall, Yorkshire.

A giant 22ft high (6.7m) baby, which stands taller than a double-decker bus, has been installed ahead of an outdoor production about a mother’s fight for her child.

The vast mechanical puppet, which takes nine people to operate, is set to be the centrepiece of a show which will feature a cast of more than one hundred actors, an army tank and striking 3D illuminations.

The production, named ZARA, is being run by the Mind the Gap theatre company and outdoor specialists Walk the Plank, and will open at Halifax’s Piece Hall in West Yorkshire on Friday night after being put together over the course of four years.

“Throughout our research, the stories we heard were tender, shocking, funny, poignant and everything in between.

“ZARA is a fusion of these complex and untold precious stories – and then supersized, It’s an unprecedented performance that puts learning disabled parents and artists at its heart and is guaranteed to deliver an unforgettable experience.”